Vacuum pump



P 1944- G. MULLER EI'AL I 2,358,412

VACUUM PUMP Filed Aug. 17, 1943 fits/aw )Va/ler fiomldfl Emir/arr IN VEN TOR.

Patented Sept. 19, 1944 VACUUM PUMP Gustave Muller and Donald D. Forsman, San Francisco, Calii'.; said Muller assignor to said Forsman Application August 17,1943, Serial No. 498,950

2 Claims. 103-163) g thereof has a delivery pipe i6 centrally con- The invention relates to a pump construction and particularly to a vacuum pump for withdrawing solid materials from a vacuum pan.

- The primary object of the invention is the provision of a pump of this character adapted to effect continuous withdrawal of heavy solid materials, such as tomato paste, milk solids and any other like substances from a vacuum pan while the machine is operating, thereby eliminating the necessity of stopping the machine and breaking .a vacuum when the material has been condensed to the desired consistency and withdrawn by an ordinary pump when there is no reduced pressure in opposition to its operation.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a pump of this character, wherein increased production capacity of the vacuum pan is assured due to continuous operation, rather than intermittent operation which would be the case in the use of an ordinary pump.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a pump of this character, which is simple in its make-up, thoroughly reliabl and efilcient in operation, having a continuity of action, durable, possessed of few parts, so as not to get out of ,order, and inexpensive to manufacture and install.

with these and other objects in view the m vention consists in the features of construction,

combinationand arrangement of parts as will be preferred embodiment of the invention, and pointed out in the claimsv hereunto appended.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through the vacuum pan and; pump, the latter being construeted in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section through the pump cylinder showing e, diii'erent positionof the piston from that shown in Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken on the line H of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Flfllre 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views in the drawing.

Referring to the drawing in detail A designates generally a vacuum pan for heavy solids of material, such as tomato paste, milk solids or any other like materials. the material being indicated at B therein, while 0 denotes generally the pump constituting-the present invention.

nected therewith.

The piston operates within a sleeve valve i1 controlling an intake port it communicating with the bottom nipple portion iii of the vacuum pan A, the valve i'l being formed with the ports 20, and such valve has the abutments 2i and 22, respectively, for the piston M to effect movement thereto. The piston I4 is equipped with one-way opening check valves 23 in the head 24 thereof, while the sleeve valve i1 is open at opposite ends.

Aligned with the port It is a pressure equalizing port 25 from which leads a pipe 26 to a point above the operating level of the material as de- 1 oted at 21 within the vacuum pan A. The sleeve valve ii is operated in a back and forth motion by the piston I4 and acts as a valve to close the intake port i8 and the pressure equalizing port when the pump C is discharging the material. At the same time the pump is discharging the material in front of the piston H the cylinder is loading through the intake port It and when the piston reaches the extreme, the sleeve valve I'I closes the intake port i8 and the pressure equalizing port 25, thereby trapping the material back of the piston i4 when it can be forced through the check valves 23 as such piston completes the cycle and again opens the ports i8 and 25 when more material will be drawn into the cylinder as the piston exhausts the material in front of the same.

What is claimed is:

1. A pump of the kind described, comprising a cylinder having an intake port near one end and an exhaust port at the other end, a sleeve valve working within the cylinder for controlling said intake port. a piston operating within the sleeve valve and having a check valved head confronting the exhaust port, and means on the sleeve valve for operation thereof by said piston.

2. A pump of the kind described, comprising a cylinder provided in its side and one end with intake and discharge ports, respectively, a sleeve the cylinder and limited in its movements by the valve open at its ends and slidably mounted in ends of the cylinder, the sleeve valve closing the intake port when in contact with one end of the This pump C comprises a cylinder it having at the head end il thereof a central packing gland I! through which extends the reciprocating piston rod ll of a piston i4 working within the said cylinder. This cylinder II at the other end I! -cylinder and being provided in its side with a port registering with the intake port when the valve is in contact with the other end of the cylinder, abutments on the inner side of the a sleeve valve arranged in axially spaced relation, and a piston operating inthe sleeve valve between the abutments and provided with check valves unseating in the direction of the discharge 

